Candidates have limited control in an interview. They cannot control the questions they will be asked nor can they control the manner by which employers will rank and weigh their responses. They cannot control interviewer bias.

Despite such noble intentions, candidates are frequently rejected or hired for other criteria. Over the past several months, we have had candidates eliminated by clients not for failing to check off the exhaustive list of requisite experience, skills or competencies but rather...

Many hiring managers read resumes in a cursory manner. They review the companies and roles that candidates have filled over their careers while making note of education levels, stability, the quality/consistency of overall career trajectory, and purported skills, knowledge and competencies.

Executive search processes and their outcomes fascinate me to no end. I enjoy trying to figure out how organizations determine their requirements and how well the outcomes line up to them. The recent decision to hire Ron Tavener as OPP Commissioner is a case in point.

In our last post we discussed the temptations facing unemployed executives to move with extreme haste in finding a new role. Conceptualizing job loss as akin to falling off a horse they associate ‘down time' with unproductive, time-consuming activity.

Every week, without exception, we meet executives who have jumped back on their horses in this very manner and embraced a ‘spray and pray' job search strategy. For some it may work like a charm but for the majority, dare I say the vast majority, it is the wrong approach.

The message for companies is pay attention, respect personal dignity, gives candidates a voice and some control over the process, and treat them as partners in an important relationship. Not only will companies have a higher chance of hiring them, on terms possibly more favorable, but as it turns out, keeping them.

Internationally Educated Professionals in the Canadian Workforce

September 14, 2012

Recently I have volunteered as a career coach in a program to help integrate internationally trained professionals. Just like most of our forefathers, these professionals have picked up and left their country of origin to make a better life for themselves and their families here in Canada. That move itself is an incredible leap of faith. When I met with this group of professionals I was struck by the motivation and desire they had to succeed in their adopted country. Many had taken a step down in terms of temporary employment in hope of advancing later. All are well-educated and have come from school systems that are highly competitive and more oriented towards performance than building self-esteem. They were not asking for much, other than a chance to prove themselves in a Canadian context. As a group these are courageous, well-educated, and motivated people.

It will not be an easy transition for many of them and there are challenges with language and work customs in Canada. A job search in this country certainly has significant nuances that are impossible for internationally educated professionals to understand. Many Canadians struggle in job searches, so imagine how difficult it is for foreign trained professionals. Combined with a lack of familial, professional, or social networks that often yields employment opportunities, the challenges are substantial.

And yet we are a nation of immigrants. Our birthrate is low and we are not replacing ourselves. Many jobs, particularly in the technology environment go unfilled due to lack of qualified candidates. We are going to become dependent on internationally educated professionals and the better we integrate them the better off we are all going to be. There will be hurdles, hiccups and bumps in the road but employers have the opportunity to hire smart, well-educated, highly motivated employees. In turn this will keep our companies moving ahead, and our economy vibrant. We cannot afford to fail in their integration into the workforce.

About the Author.

Paul Hudson is a Partner with StoneWood Group Inc. a leading Canadian executive search firm. Over the past 16 years he has helped organizations identify and select senior managers.